Aidpage

Hi, my family of 5 is need of emergency help for food, gas, and shelter costs. Please read my most recent blog post for details. Thank you and God Bless.

I didn't receive any messages from anyone when I created this page last year. I did create a similar profile on eBay and had a few messages from others who would like to help if they could, but so many people are struggling right now. It's sad because I really thought that just maybe it would work. I carefully researched costs, etc. But today as I read over the costs I estimated, it's really unrealistic I suppose. Today I asked my husband what he thought about bringing Savannah home without any modifications to our rented 2 bedroom duplex and to try to do without a handicap accessible van. I said that maybe a few churches would help us raise money for a van once she was home. He of course was the realistic one and pointed out the fact that we have absolutely no room in our duplex (my stepson already has to sleep on the couch), she is too heavy for me to lift, and what exactly would I do when our 5 year old son  when he needed to go anywhere and my husband was at work, and how would we support another family member when we're in such bad financial shape as it is. I don't know. I just don't know. It seems so unfair.

How are we doing otherwise? My husbands hours have been cut drastically. I'm STILL waiting for a decision on my disability application. We can barely provide for the four of us in this small duplex. With Savannah, our family of five would have to get at least a 3 bedroom home if she came home. Yeah, right. We are 2 months behind on our current rent, our gas just got shut off, and we had to visit the local food bank for the first time. My husband works in the auto industry and just finished two weeks mandatory unpaid time off. It has sent us in a tailspin. I just used our change jar to have a way to fill up the gas tank. I walked in with a baggie full of change and was so embarrased as the clerk counted out the change because a lady I used to work with was right behind me. I have applied for food stamps and it has been a nightmare. I applied on May 18th and have yet to receive any help. They accidentally sent us a denial on June 18th and rescinded it saying they thought we didn't send our paperwork in (they found it the next day), but no one has worked our case since. I call and they say our application has been marked as high priority and overdue but still needs "worked." The truth is we're on our last roll of toilet paper, my husband doesn't know how he's going to get gas money for work this week, we are running out of the canned soup the food bank gave us, and we have no sugar to even make koolaid. So, I of course chuckled when I read over my post from a year ago hoping for $250K when today I would love to have $2.50 for sugar, soup, or toilet paper. It's difficult to remain positive.

So, now more than ever - we do need help. But this time, any amount will help. If you want to help our family, you can email akemonsr@aol.com. We do have a PayPal account set up so you can just send donations that way or email if you have other suggestions. God bless all the struggling individuals and families!       

A Mothers Wish 

Do you believe that a loving family with a child who has disabilities should be able to have that child live with them and yet still be able to lead a normal life? I have been inspired by The Secret, A New Earth, and Oprah’s Big Give to tell our story and believe for a miracle. Please also read the poem I have written about my daughter at the bottom. I had a placental abruption which resulted in an emergency C-section. My daughter Savannah was born at 29 weeks weighing 2 pounds. She had gone without oxygen for an undetermined amount of time because the abruption caused her to be cut off from oxygen when in the womb. Savannah is totally blind, has cerebral palsy, life threatening seizures, is tube fed, and has severe brain damage. The doctors say she will never see, eat by mouth, walk, or talk. She will forever be about 6 months old mentally although her body continues to grow. 

 I don’t want to settle with “visiting” my daughter on the weekends at the pediatric nursing facility where she lives. With your help and the help of others, I hope to make my wish of my daughter Savannah living in the same house and town as the rest of our family a reality. Please continue reading to learn more about our story and find out why our family needs your financial help or social connections to make our family whole and bring our daughter home. Any amount of money will help and it would be mean more than I can express in words.

 Our Needs 

1. A home that is modified to support Savannah’s special needs. (Our current home is in foreclosure at the moment because I have decided to stay home at this time.) The home would need a ramp, a lift or other equipment to move her from room to room, widened hallways, bathing equipment, hospital style bed, and separate room for the nurses so we can still have some family privacy, etc. ($200,000)
2. A handicap accessible lift van ($40,000)
3. 24 hour nursing care. (Our cost would be $105,000 per year.) I’m guessing we would need someone to sponsor this cost on a yearly basis. I would like to have at least 2 years to start with.
4. We would love to have an adaptive swing set as well for outside. She loves to swing! ($2000)

 Total Need for first two years = $452,000 Every year thereafter = $105,000 That means if there are four people out there that can give $100,000 and one person who can give $52,000, we can have our daughter back! 

Why I’m Asking for Help

 It took me a long time to decide to make our story public and ask strangers for help. I often think of other families that may need help just as bad or worse than we do and feel guilty for asking for anything. I don’t think that we deserve anything more than other families in similar situations. However, I am willing to fight for my daughter. I believe that “we have not because we ask not.” I have tried to support our needs through state funding like Medicaid for special needs children, etc and the truth is it is much cheaper for the state to care for children in an institution. They just can not and do not pay for 24 hour care in the child’s home or lift vans, etc. 

How Savannah Became Separated From Us 

We kept Savannah at home for 6 years with Medicaid paying for about 4o hours per week of nursing care. This means that evenings and weekends we were on our own. The feedings are every four hours and the amount of medication she is on is hard to keep straight, plus of course we change her diapers because she will always be in diapers. We were able to work, but once we came home we were unable to go anywhere because we did not have the means to transport Savannah. She could stop breathing during a seizure, so it was hard for me to sleep soundly at night even when she wore a monitor.

 I became pregnant with our second child and had to have another c-section due to complications in 2004. Thankfully, our second child was healthy. Many family members tried to tell me that I really needed to let Savannah go to a nursing facility where she would have 24 hour care and we could live a more normal life. I refused. Until one night when I walked in to Savannahs room to find her blue and barely breathing. I woke my husband Shawn who carried Savannah and our new baby to our car which left me to carry her oxygen tanks and other equipment (even though I had just had a c-section I did it without thinking) and we sped off to the ER. This had happened several times but we didn’t have another baby to care for. I knew at that moment that if Savannah survived, we could not continue to live this way. 

 It almost felt like I had to choose between Savannah and the well being of my marriage and other children. I also have a 11 year old step-son. We had never been able to go out much and had no social life. Since we did not have the nursing help, vehicle, or proper equipment to care for Savannah anymore, I made the most difficult decision to place Savannah in the home for children with disabilities. In all fairness, for the past 4 years the nurses at the facility have been great. The teachers at the school she goes to are wonderful. But I feel like a part of me and our family is missing. I go to bed at night and can’t check on her or give her a kiss goodnight. It is physically painful sometimes for me to feel so helpless and miss her so much. I think that my health has suffered from the heart ache of this situation. We just want to have our family back together. I want to be able to have Savannah celebrate holidays with us at home.

________________________________________________________________________

"Still the One” by Savannahs Mommy

A baby bottle from your GrandmaShe said was for good luck

Was the only thing we hadWhen premature labor struck 

I was only 6 months along, Didn’t expect you so soon

Not even a baby bed Was there in your room 

The doctor said to hurry If either of us were to make it through

He said placental abruptions Are dangerous for Mommy, too 

I woke up from surgeryAnd asked the nurse about you

She said it’s a girl, You had survived, too 

A trip to the NICUTo see you was now in place

But between the bruises and tubing I could barely see your face 

This isn’t the happy birth dayI had played in my mind

This isn’t the babyI thought I would find 

I wanted to hold youBut they said it would cause you pain

The bruises would get worse And my tears fell like rain 

I’d sit by your incubator and sing“You’re still the one” by Shania and pray

I sat there for months I sang these words day after day

 “Looks like we made it, look how far we’ve come my baby. We might have took the long way but we knew we’d get there someday. They said I bet they’ll never make it but just look at us holding on, we’re still together, still going strong……” 

Months later we left Riley Hospital with youA nd a feeding tube through your nose

They said the brain damage is most likely permanent But no one really knows 

They said you might be ableTo do what other kids do

Maybe by the timeYou were one or two 

But just a few months later We found out you’d never see

You were completely blind And always would be 

That bottle from Grandma You never did use

You couldn’t learn to eat by mouthAnd now you’re in your two’s 

I wanted to hear you say mommy Or talk to me at all when you were two

I thought by then It’s be something you could do 

But now you’re three And still can’t walk or talk to me

Now you’re four And there’s improvement no more 

Now you’re six You laugh and smile

But no words, no steps And It’s been quite awhile 

Since I believed that just maybe You’d walk, talk, or see

I wonder nowIf you’ll ever really know me 

I don’t want to let you go But your baby brother needs me now

I’ll visit you often We’ll make this work somehow

 After 4 years, you are ten And still so far away from me

Maybe someday when we get to Heaven Your body will work perfectly 

You’ll see me for the first time And “Hi Mommy” you’ll say

Before you run off With the angels to play

________________________________________________________________________

A Mothers Wish 

Do you believe that a loving family with a child who has disabilities should be able to have that child live with them and yet still be able to lead a normal life? I have been inspired by The Secret, A New Earth, and Oprah’s Big Give to tell our story and believe for a miracle. Please also read the poem I have written about my daughter at the bottom. I had a placental abruption which resulted in an emergency C-section. My daughter Savannah was born at 29 weeks weighing 2 pounds. She had gone without oxygen for an undetermined amount of time because the abruption caused her to be cut off from oxygen when in the womb. Savannah is totally blind, has cerebral palsy, life threatening seizures, is tube fed, and has severe brain damage. The doctors say she will never see, eat by mouth, walk, or talk. She will forever be about 6 months old mentally although her body continues to grow. 

 I don’t want to settle with “visiting” my daughter on the weekends at the pediatric nursing facility where she lives. With your help and the help of others, I hope to make my wish of my daughter Savannah living in the same house and town as the rest of our family a reality. Please continue reading to learn more about our story and find out why our family needs your financial help or social connections to make our family whole and bring our daughter home. Any amount of money will help and it would be mean more than I can express in words.

 Our Needs 

1. A home that is modified to support Savannah’s special needs. (Our current home is in foreclosure at the moment because I have decided to stay home at this time.) The home would need a ramp, a lift or other equipment to move her from room to room, widened hallways, bathing equipment, hospital style bed, and separate room for the nurses so we can still have some family privacy, etc. ($200,000)
2. A handicap accessible lift van ($40,000)
3. 24 hour nursing care. (Our cost would be $105,000 per year.) I’m guessing we would need someone to sponsor this cost on a yearly basis. I would like to have at least 2 years to start with.
4. We would love to have an adaptive swing set as well for outside. She loves to swing! ($2000)

 Total Need for first two years = $452,000 Every year thereafter = $105,000 That means if there are four people out there that can give $100,000 and one person who can give $52,000, we can have our daughter back! 

Why I’m Asking for Help

 It took me a long time to decide to make our story public and ask strangers for help. I often think of other families that may need help just as bad or worse than we do and feel guilty for asking for anything. I don’t think that we deserve anything more than other families in similar situations. However, I am willing to fight for my daughter. I believe that “we have not because we ask not.” I have tried to support our needs through state funding like Medicaid for special needs children, etc and the truth is it is much cheaper for the state to care for children in an institution. They just can not and do not pay for 24 hour care in the child’s home or lift vans, etc. 

How Savannah Became Separated From Us 

We kept Savannah at home for 6 years with Medicaid paying for about 4o hours per week of nursing care. This means that evenings and weekends we were on our own. The feedings are every four hours and the amount of medication she is on is hard to keep straight, plus of course we change her diapers because she will always be in diapers. We were able to work, but once we came home we were unable to go anywhere because we did not have the means to transport Savannah. She could stop breathing during a seizure, so it was hard for me to sleep soundly at night even when she wore a monitor.

 I became pregnant with our second child and had to have another c-section due to complications in 2004. Thankfully, our second child was healthy. Many family members tried to tell me that I really needed to let Savannah go to a nursing facility where she would have 24 hour care and we could live a more normal life. I refused. Until one night when I walked in to Savannahs room to find her blue and barely breathing. I woke my husband Shawn who carried Savannah and our new baby to our car which left me to carry her oxygen tanks and other equipment (even though I had just had a c-section I did it without thinking) and we sped off to the ER. This had happened several times but we didn’t have another baby to care for. I knew at that moment that if Savannah survived, we could not continue to live this way. 

 It almost felt like I had to choose between Savannah and the well being of my marriage and other children. I also have a 11 year old step-son. We had never been able to go out much and had no social life. Since we did not have the nursing help, vehicle, or proper equipment to care for Savannah anymore, I made the most difficult decision to place Savannah in the home for children with disabilities. In all fairness, for the past 4 years the nurses at the facility have been great. The teachers at the school she goes to are wonderful. But I feel like a part of me and our family is missing. I go to bed at night and can’t check on her or give her a kiss goodnight. It is physically painful sometimes for me to feel so helpless and miss her so much. I think that my health has suffered from the heart ache of this situation. We just want to have our family back together. I want to be able to have Savannah celebrate holidays with us at home.

________________________________________________________________________

"Still the One” by Savannahs Mommy

A baby bottle from your GrandmaShe said was for good luck

Was the only thing we hadWhen premature labor struck 

I was only 6 months along, Didn’t expect you so soon

Not even a baby bed Was there in your room 

The doctor said to hurry If either of us were to make it through

He said placental abruptions Are dangerous for Mommy, too 

I woke up from surgeryAnd asked the nurse about you

She said it’s a girl, You had survived, too 

A trip to the NICUTo see you was now in place

But between the bruises and tubing I could barely see your face 

This isn’t the happy birth dayI had played in my mind

This isn’t the babyI thought I would find 

I wanted to hold youBut they said it would cause you pain

The bruises would get worse And my tears fell like rain 

I’d sit by your incubator and sing“You’re still the one” by Shania and pray

I sat there for months I sang these words day after day

 “Looks like we made it, look how far we’ve come my baby. We might have took the long way but we knew we’d get there someday. They said I bet they’ll never make it but just look at us holding on, we’re still together, still going strong……” 

Months later we left Riley Hospital with youA nd a feeding tube through your nose

They said the brain damage is most likely permanent But no one really knows 

They said you might be ableTo do what other kids do

Maybe by the timeYou were one or two 

But just a few months later We found out you’d never see

You were completely blind And always would be 

That bottle from Grandma You never did use

You couldn’t learn to eat by mouthAnd now you’re in your two’s 

I wanted to hear you say mommy Or talk to me at all when you were two

I thought by then It’s be something you could do 

But now you’re three And still can’t walk or talk to me

Now you’re four And there’s improvement no more 

Now you’re six You laugh and smile

But no words, no steps And It’s been quite awhile 

Since I believed that just maybe You’d walk, talk, or see

I wonder nowIf you’ll ever really know me 

I don’t want to let you go But your baby brother needs me now

I’ll visit you often We’ll make this work somehow

 After 4 years, you are ten And still so far away from me

Maybe someday when we get to Heaven Your body will work perfectly 

You’ll see me for the first time And “Hi Mommy” you’ll say

Before you run off With the angels to play

________________________________________________________________________